A modern swordsman in Alagaësia
by Daycember
Summary: A.U. Eragon leaves Carvahall with Brom and a strange man who want the death of the Ra'zac more than everything. Who is he and what is his purpose here? How this new character will influence things and especially the fate of Alagaësia? What kind of secrets does he keep and why does he hate the Ra'Zac so much? Maybe some romance later.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Two men were talking in front of a few trees. One of them was a young man no older than fifteen, with brown hair and brown eyes too. The other person was an adult, in his sixties with small black eyes. He was bald, smaller than the adolescent, had a thick beard and an eagle-shaped nose. He owned a sword which was hanging at his belt and had pieces of leather in his hand.

The streets of the village were completely empty. The only trace of life was coming from the fireplaces of the houses. The ground was covered in pure white snow, a color which was contrasting with the dark clouds of the sky.

The duo was arguing so much that they didn't noticed a third man eavesdropping on their conversation. He was slightly older than the adolescent, maybe by three or four years. His icy blue eyes were observing the village without much interest while his ears were concentrated on the discussion. A slight cold breeze gently slapped his cheek and moved a part of his grey hair in the direction of the wind. Contrary the other two men, he was wearing "modern" clothes. He had a dark brown leather vest, a black t-shirt, black shoes and navy blue jeans. Two swords were hanging on his back, in a way to be held with both hands. There was another weapon tied against his torso, this one was black and long (a good eighty-five centimeters) with inscriptions on it: M4A1. To put it simply, it was an improved version of a bow: faster, deadlier and more precise.

On his right shoulder blade, the young adult had an object slightly shorter than the M4A1. This time, its color was light brown and had something written on the barrel: Mossberg 500 ATP. And the last, but not the least, there was a silver weapon hanging at his right hip. It wasn't as big as the other two but was very powerful too.

"I was about to track down the Ra'zac to kill them."

The sentence arrived to the ears of the stalker who stopped his activity when he heard the word 'Ra'zac' in it. Maybe with some luck, those two people had a few information to share about them and could lead him to these monsters. He walked without a sound to the duo before announcing his presence by clearing his throat.

"Sorry to bother you", he began. "But I heard your little talk and I thought that maybe you could help me."

The adult and the young man turned their head in his direction and looked at him with suspicion.

"And how could we do this?"

"You see… I overheard your conversation. I'm also tracking the Ra'zac and maybe, if you want to, we could work together. The deal is simple: we travel together and I share everything I have with you. That means my food, water and anything of value I could sell to make money."

"They are very dangerous and have no mercy. They could kill you in a few seconds, there's not a lot of people who can stand up against them."

"I already know that. To tell you the truth, I'm after them since a few years, five to be precise. They killed someone I appreciated a lot and who was very close to me. I think that if the three of us work in team, we can find them quickly and neutralize them… definitively. I don't think there's a better solution than forming a group. When it will be over, I'll leave you two alone. Is it good enough for you?"

The boy looked at the old man and they shared a look, one which lasted a few seconds. Each one was searching for the correct answer in the eyes of the other.

"What do you think? Is the risk worth it? It's your quest after all." asked the bald man.

The adolescent with brown hair had a look of doubt for a few seconds before putting a neutral face and nodding.

"I don't think he's lying… so why not. But we have to tell him about _her_."

"Fine."

Then, the storyteller looked again at the newcomer, a sour look on his face.

"Are you sure you want this? This kind of decision can change your life forever and there's no way back."

The man with icy-blue eyes grinned.

"I knew this since the first day I decided to chase them. I sacrificed too much to not continue my hunt. They will pay. Now, I think we can introduce ourselves. My name is Alex."

The adolescent shook his hand.

"What a strange name. I'm Eragon, nice to meet you, and the person to my left is Brom, storyteller of Carvahall and an old friend."

"All the pleasure is mine."

Alex looked at the village and saw people walking to one house to another. The duo did the same.

"I think they're searching for me." commented the farmer.

The old man raised an eyebrow.

"Probably. Shall we?"

Eragon hesitated. "I'd like to give a message to Roran. I'm ashamed to left without any explication."

"Don't worry, I left a message to Gertrude this morning explaining a few things, and told him to be on his guard for certain dangers. Will that do?"

The young man nodded. Their journey could finally begin.

The little group carefully left the village, taking care to not being seen by anyone. At the moment they were out of Carvahall, they quickened their pace despite Eragon's injuries. Finally, they arrived at the farm. Well... more like what was left of it. The barn was no more, only a rectangle of soot remained.

They walked to the former door leading to the inside of the house and stopped there. They contemplated the damage caused by the two monsters. They only heard the loud beating of wings at the last second. Brom turned around and flinched. Seeing this, Alex turned his head in the direction the storyteller was looking and was face to face with a huge sapphire creature with four legs, one long tail and two wings. Instinctively, he drew his swords from his back.

The bald man completely ignored the swordsman's comportment and walked to the animal with a look both solemn and joyous.

"So, it starts again…", said the storyteller. "But how and where can this story end? My sight is veiled. I cannot know if its farce or tragedy, for elements of both are here. Anyway, no matter: my position is the same, and I ..."

His words stopped there. The creature then looked at the human with the two swords in his hands. His eyes were full of fear and amazement.

_«You really are weird creatures ...__»_

This sentence echoed inside Alex's head for a few seconds before fading away. It was, without a single doubt, a female voice, thanks to the intonation.

"She speaks!" exclaimed the adolescent with gray hair.

_«You thought I was dumb? Dragons are as smart, if not more, than humans»_

The young man immediately lowered his swords and looked at the dragoness with a new interest. The world could have collapsed around them that he would not have realized it.

"Who knew that one day…I would have the occasion to meet a dragon? I'm honored to meet you, miss…"

_«Saphira»_

"It's not that I want to interrupt your little talk" said Brom. "But we need to take everything that could be useful and leave."

The two adolescents nodded and began to search for anything that could be useful. After a few minutes, they came back with only a bow, a few arrows and some food. Without a word, Eragon walked toward the forest. Following him, they all arrived in a small clearing, but large enough for all of them. Saphira flew to meet them there, less she leaves anymore tracks than she already had.

"I discovered this place a few years ago, no one else except me know its location."

The farmer prepared a small fire, filled a pan with snow and finally put pieces of meat in it. During the meal, none of the men said a word, preferring to eat in silence. Then, Eragon and Brom began to talk while Alex was deeply fixing the flames, mesmerized by their beauty and his thoughts.

_«It's seems that my situation is not that bad. A storyteller, a farmer and a dragoness… when my superiors will learn this, I don't want to imagine the look on their faces. Eragon is a good boy and a little naïve but I'm wary of the old man. I think he know more about all of this, let's see if I can extract more information from him. But not now»_

Suddenly, a faint sound of steel against steel reached his ears and he raised his head while grapping his M4A1. Eragon was holding a blade. A handle of silver wire topped with a gold pommel extended from a blood red sheath. A ruby the size of a small egg rested in the pommel. Upon drawing the sword, Eragon saw that the metal of the blade was also red. The black symbol etched onto the sheath was also present on the blade itself.

"It once belonged to a powerful Rider. The way I obtained it is not important. Consider it yours."

The offer caught Eragon off guard. "It's a princely gift, thank you."

"And you, by seeing the twin blades you have on your back, I suppose you're familiar with the swordplay. Right?"

The question made Alex smile.

"Indeed. I had the chance to learn a lot of things during those five years. I was under the tutoring of a few masters who shared everything they knew with me. I'm not someone with a boastful pride so I'm going to say that I can defend myself if it's necessary."

"Mmmmh, I'd like to see what you're capable of."

"Maybe another night."

A long silence followed before Eragon spoke.

"Do you have any idea who the Ra'zac are?"

And so, Brom explained to the three of them. The Ra'zac, as they were called, were some of the foulest creature to walk the land. Despite their appearance, they were not human. Precious little was know about them, only that they were never seen before Galbatorix came to power. Under their hoods were black eyes the size of fist and beaks where a mouth would be, making how they produced speech a mystery. Their only real weakness is their aversion to sunlight.

"Who are you?" he spat. "How come a mere village storyteller just happen to have a Rider's sword? How do you know so much about dragons, and the Ra'zac?"

Brom smiled gently. "The only thing you need to know is that I'm the person who is here to protect you. Do not scorn those words; they are the truest I have ever spoken. But I'm not going to answer your questions. You don't need to hear my story, nor you have earned this right. True, I have knowledge that Brom the storyteller wouldn't, but I'm more than he. You'll have to learn to live with that fact and the fact I don't hand out descriptions of my life to anyone who asks!"

Eragon glared at him.

"I'm going to sleep." Brom didn't seem surprised but there was sorrow in his eyes. He rolled out his bedroll next to the fire as Eragon went and lay against Saphira's stomach.

An icy silence fell over the camp.

As for him, Alex was a few meters away from the others and the fire. He took his weapons off him and directly lay on the ground, using his bag as a pillow.

Tomorrow could be a long day.

**Ending Theme - Sword Art Online Opening 1**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Naerys Targayen - Thank you for your review. I indeed need to work more on my grammar mistakes. I appreciate English a lot and I'd love to improve my writing skill in this language. Don't worry, I'll try my best to do better in the following chapters ^^**

**Opening Theme - Sword Art Online Opening 1**

When Alex opened his eyes the next day, he was welcomed with a magnificent sight. The sky was colored in blue with some light pink clouds. The sun was slowly appearing at the horizon. His face was bathed in the warm rays of the sun and this sole action was enough to put a smile on his lips. A quick look at his watch told the young man it wasn't more than eight. He quickly yawned and shook his head. Observing what was remaining of the fire, the boy with grey hair stood up, took the wood still intact from last night and put it equally where the ashes of the previous fire were. He used a piece of rag and his Zippo to make another one.

Alex then sat on the ground, crossed his legs, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He emptied his mind while slowing his breathing and his heart rate. Gradually, he stopped to think and after a few moments, he reached a state of inner peace, away from the physical and the outside world. It was a method he learned from his first teacher to relax when he had to evacuate negative emotions or stress but now, he only used it to pass time.

After what seemed a couple of minutes, he heard one of the three person with him waking up and decided to open his eyes.

"Good morning." said Brom in a weak but neutral tone.

"Morning to you too. Sleep well?"

"I've known better."

The young man nodded in understanding.

"Since when are you awake?"

"I don't know... maybe an hour, more or less. The fire was dying so I revived it with what was left of the wood from last night."

There was a long and heavy silence between the two people. Brom decided to make breakfast, the water boiling quietly over a small fire. A few minutes after, Eragon woke up from his slumber. He greeted them with a small grunt and ate the food prepared by the old man. Then, the three of them began to work on a saddle for Saphira. Alex helped them in this task by cutting the strips while Brom was taking the dragoness' measurements. Finally, the storyteller adjusted the saddle while the two boys started organizing and stowing supplies for the journey ahead. Brom stepped back to admire his work. It wasn't perfect but good enough to continue fitting Saphira during her months of growth ahead.

"You did a good job." admitted Eragon, grudgingly.

"One tries his best. The leather is sturdy, it should last for some time."

The dinner was quickly made with few ingredients but the taste wasn't too bad. Brom broke the silence by asking a question to the farmer:

"So, will we leave tomorrow?"

"I don't see any reason to stay."

"True." Brom sighed before looking at the man with grey hair. "What do you think about this?"

"Eragon's right. The more we stay around here, the less chances we have of finding any clue about their destination."

"In that case, we need horses. There may be some in Therinsford."

Eragon growled. "Alright but you'll have to buy them, I'm not stealing again. It's wrong."

"Depend on your point of view." Brom countered.

"I'm not fond of stealing too but if I had to do it to ensure my survival or to help me reach my goal, I would do it without any regret." added Alex.

The elder and the farmer continued to talk for a few more moments before the former decided it was getting late.

The next day dawned with an overcast and sharp wind. The forest was completely silent. After a quick breakfast, they packed up camp and set out along the road leading away from Carvahall. Brom and Alex had their blades on them but Eragon strapped his on Saphira's saddle, only taking his bow with him.

As they walked, the blue dragoness flew west toward the mountains and out of sight. The travelers passed by the farm to go south, in direction of Therinsford. They trudged on with Brom leading them, trying to follow the trail the Ra'zac had left, which was easier said than done. Eragon and Alex were not worried about it. The latter wasn't in hurry to confront them a third time. The second encounted he had with them, which happened not long ago, was tense and could have been worse. Fortunately, Alex had stole _something_ from them, something that helped him to follow them to Carvahall. Now, he just have to play mouse and cat and strike when they expected it the least.

While the adolescent and the storyteller were talking about the eating habits of dragons or what to do if engaging one in battle, the newcomer was admiring the scenery around him. There were different kinds of trees, conifer to elm and he saw a few oaks too. At the same time, he was also listening to the conversation. The white coat of snow was everywhere, covering rocks, ground or trees. The ambient temperature wasn't warm but not very cold too. They continued to walk until the sun disappeared at horizon.

The trio proceed to make camp and cook something as Saphira joined them from above. She settled next to Eragon, sharing her heat with him. A few minutes passed by, without a single word, the only sound was the crackling fire. On the other side of the fire, Brom sat whittling two long sticks. Suddenly, one was thrown at the young Rider. He caught it by reflex.

"Defend yourself!" barked the storyteller as he stood up.

Brom and Eragon faced each other for a moment, then Brom struck. Eragon tried to block but he was too slow. A yell escaped his lips when Brom's sword hit his ribs. They continued like this until Eragon was hit on the temple. Then, the old man showed him the right posture to have and a few tips before ending the lesson.

"Yay! My turn!" yelled Alex, visibly happy to use his muscles.

Brom smiled seeing the boy's enthusiasm. He gave him the sword Eragon had a few moment before. The man with icy blue eyes took it with his left hand and did a few handreels with it before positioning himself the way his masters taught him. His right leg in front, the other a few centimeters behind, both hands on the handle of the object, near the left side of his face and handling the fake sword horizontally towards its target.

Brom ignored the strange position and launched an attack, trying to strike his right side but was stopped. Ignoring what just happened, he whipped his stick toward Alex's stomach but finally twisted and tried to touch his neck. The swordsman deflected the enemy's blade to the left by performing a large circle with his own weapon. This time, he came at Brom, on the offensive and attacking at an incredible speed. His blows were only blurs for Eragon and Saphira who watched the fight with amazement. The storyteller could only defend himself under the furious assault of his partner. Alex finished the lesson by twisting his opponent's hand in a strange way, forcing him to drop his weapon to the ground. The young man put his stick under Brom's chin.

"I've won." He said, in a confident tone and without any trace of fatigue on his face.

The Rider and his dragoness were looking at the two men in awe, well more precisely at Alex. His blows were powerful and very accurate. The adolescent with grey hair hadn't lied when he said he had some knowledge in swordplay. It was as if he knew the perfect amount of force to put in each of his hits, as if he wanted to optimize them and be more effective.

"Apparently. Few people have been able to beat me that way. You're pretty impressive for someone so young, I didn't thought I was going to confront such a large resistance during this fight. You really learned that much in five years?"

"Yes. I wanted to master as much techniques as possible to stand a chance against the Ra'zac."

"Very well. The only thing I can say to you is to keep the level you have. You don't need my advices in this domain. We should go to sleep, it's getting late."

The next day, Alex woke up not long after Brom but before Eragon and Saphira. He sat at the elder's side and inhaled some air.

"Was it really necessary to be that harsh with him last night?"

The storyteller let out a sigh.

"I know I was a little rough but I had to. If I had to lower myself at his level, he'd never do any progress. It would be better if he hated me for a decade rather than have him injured or killed because he was too confident in his capacities."

While saying this, the expression in his eyes changed, there was now sorrow in them. It was present long enough to let the man with blue eyes notice it but he didn't say a word. It wasn't his business after all. The two of them stayed like this, sitting side by side, waiting for the last member of their little group to wake up. He greeted them with a small snarl.

Once they had finished and repacked their campsite, they traveled swiftly so as to reach Therinsford by noon. After about a league, the road began to widen and smoke could be seen in the distance. "You should tell Saphira to fly ahead and wait for us on the other side of the town." Brom said. "She has to be careful here. She could be spotted."

"Why don't you tell her yourself?"

"It's considered ill manners to interfere with one's dragon."

"You didn't seem to have any problem with it in Carvahall."

The old man's lips twitched in a smile. "I did what I had to do at the time."

They continued to walk in direction of their next destination, the village was larger than Carvahall but looked like it was planned out by a drunken man. The houses aligned in no particular order.

"What a mess." said Eragon.

"It's ugly." nodded Brom. "I've seen far better than this."

A river with a bridge was separating them from Therinsford. At the moment they were about to set foot on it, a greasy man with broken teeth emerged from the bushes.

"You c'n stop right there. This is my bridge. You gotta pay t'get over."

Alex laughed at the top of his lungs for three seconds before immediately taking a neutral face again.

"So, what are we going to do? I shoot him or not? Because his face is a more than valid reason to put him six feet under the ground."

Brom looked at him somberly before pulling out a pouch of coins.

"How much?"

"Five crowns," he said, his lips in a broad smile.

The swordsman stayed silent while Eragon's temper flared at the unruly price. A simple look from the bald man silenced him. He then handed the coins to the man wordlessly. Stepping forward, Brom suddenly stumbled and grabbed the man's arm for support. When they were out of earshot, Eragon protested: "Why didn't you haggle? He skinned you alive! He probably doesn't even own the bridge, we could have pushed right past him."

Brom opened his hand to show him a pile of coins glistening in the light. He gave a wink to the farmer and put his theft in his own pouch.

"You sneaky dog!" commented the swordsman, with a sincere smile on his lips.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Opening Theme - Sword Art Online Opening 1**

Alex was silently observing Therinsford and its inhabitants while Brom and Eragon were negotiating with the owner of the local stable. The villagers were looking at him suspiciously and curiously… certainly due to his cloths and his equipment. But the young man didn't care and wasn't here to walk around unnoticed. A sigh escaped his mouth and he tapped his foot a few times against the ground as a sign of impatience as he let his gaze drift over the village and its surroundings. After a few minutes, the duo came out with two horses. One a white stallion and the other a bay horse. Brom handed the reins of the stallions to Eragon.

"Here, wait for me by the edge of Therinsford. I won't be long."

Before Eragon and Alex could have objected, the storyteller was already gone. The two young men crossed Therinsford and stationed themselves along the road. In the distance to the south, stood Mount Utgard. His appearance made Eragon shudder. Brom reappeared and the trio took the road, moving silently until Therinsford was far enough.

"The Ra'zac were here. They stopped at the village to buy horses. A man told me they had left like demons fleeing the holy man."

The group continued forward for a while until the old man broke the silence.

"Put your things in the saddlebags and then, attach your bag on your horse." he ordered to Eragon.

"And how am I supposed to follow you? If I have to walk by your side, it poses no concern to me but I'd like to know."

Brom turned to Alex.

"You'll ride with Eragon. Buying a third horse would have cost too much and we would have run out of money to continue this quest."

At these words, the boy's face changed color and he swallowed. If there was one thing he hated more than everything, it was to ride a horse. His former experience in this domain had left painful memories, particularly for his hindquarters. Dropping a heavy sigh, he resigned.

"OK. But it's out of question to do anything more than trotting."

A thin smile stretched on the face of the storyteller.

"Given the state of Eragon's legs, it will take a while before galloping but I can't promise anything."

"I see. So, let's go."

The landscape began to change. The traces of civilization gave way to great wilderness. Soon the road tightened, as well as at the foot of Utgard, it was only a meager way.

Brom pointed out the crumbling tower atop the peak and told the two youths the story of how the evil King defeated the last of the Riders there. The hours passed by as they continued around Utgard. The young Rider let out a cry of surprise and the swordsman sighed. On either side were mountains, but before them stretched a great plain that extended to the horizon and met the sky. It was now clear why they needed horses. Far above, they could see the outline of Saphira flying overhead, far away enough to be taken for a big bird.

"We will make the descent tomorrow." said Brom. "It will take most of the day."

They left the trail and dismounted by the Anora to make camp. At the moment they settled down to make dinner, Saphira landed and curled up next to her Rider. They ate in peace until the moment when Brom jumped on his feet and throw a stick at Eragon who caught it. When they finished their fight, he dropped his makeshift sword, completely disgusted and sat down to nurse his injuries.

A pale sunrise greeted the four members of the group as the night faded into morning. Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Eragon wasn't surprised to see Brom and the other adolescent awake. The horses were already good for another day of travel.

Casting a dark glance at Brom, Eragon stated coldly."If you keep this up, you're going to batter me into pieces."

"I've enough faith in you to know you can handle it."

The farmer then turned his head toward Alex.

"And you're going to let him continue like this without saying anything?"

"I endured the same kind of training as the one you're having right now and you've seen yourself the strength and speed it gave me. You can do it, it's just a matter of willpower. The only advice I can share with you is to never give up. If you don't want to continue, all your efforts will be useless and there'll be no one to avenge your uncle's death. Is it really what you want?"

"No, of course not!"

"In that case, give everything you have each time you train. You'll see your progress soon enough."

Then, Saphira took off, leaving the three humans and two horses to begin their descent. The ground was treacherous and rocky, making the task even more challenging. By the time they reached the bottom, they were all hot and slightly irritable, despite the brisk wind and cold. Brom examined the trail for a trace of the Ra'zac. Eventually, he straightened and announced. "It seems they've headed east toward Yauzac."

When they were ready, they set out across the plains. The wind had picked up since dawn and kept gaining in intensity as the hours passed by. The trio was forced to camp in the open and to top it all, they could not light the fire.

Angry to not be able to create a fire, Eragon tossed the tinderbox to the storyteller.

"Brisingr!" he swore, striking the flint again. Flames jumped to life and a pleased expression crossed their faces.

They quickly ate and the sparring was kept short today due to fatigue but it appeared that the farmer was starting to get better. At the beginning of the third day, the wind had died down but the temperature was still a little cold.

"I don't like this. It feels like there's some electricity in the air." Commented the swordsman.

Eragon looked at him.

"How can you know that?"

He pointed the dark thunderclouds in from of them.

"Look how dense they are. There's only one thing they want to do: it's to give us a very good and cold shower or release some lightning or both of them. I bet fifty crown it's the latter."

As they were walking until the storm was on them, Alex raised his head while thinking of something and paled.

_«With what we're going to endure, it would be better if Saphira continue on the ground with us»_

Fortunately, Eragon was thinking the same thing because he stood up from the saddle and yelled:

"**Saphira! Land now!**"

The dragoness was obliged to fly back toward Utgard to escape the powerful wind. Acting quickly, Alex jumped from the saddle and ordered the adolescent to go after his dragon. After a few but tense minutes, the duo joined the other two travelers. The young man with grey hair felt something on his nose and looked at the sky to see the first raindrops falling from the sky. As the severe elements finally died down, they left their place to a beautiful blue sky. At the end of the day, the group settled for the night.

As the day wore on, Yauzac became visible. Soon, houses were distinguishable from the background and the village fully presented itself to the trio. They entered between two houses and began to make their way through. They saw smoke above the houses but no one in the streets.

Brom pulled out a sword and Eragon strung his bow. They decided to take a side entrance instead of the front one. The houses were dark, many with broken windows and doors that hung half-open. Alex decided to walk at Cadoc's side, on the lookout for everything out of ordinary. When they arrived into the center of town, a massacre was waiting for them. The ground was imbued with a dark red color, indelible. Corpses and even parts of bodies were scattered everywhere; men, women and children alike. A wicked spear rose out of the pile, skewering the white body of a baby. A foul odor, giving a vicious desire to throw up, assaulted the nostrils of the group. Brom eyes' flicked over the spear. "This is of Urgal make – the Ra'zac didn't do this. That's not good, they only gather in such large number when…" At this moment, something caught his attention and he ran back to Snowfire before jumping on his saddle.

"Run! There are still Urgals here!"

Eragon saw a blur of movement to his right before he received a beautiful punch which unhorsed him. Cadoc continued to run, revealing five Urgals with one of them who was rushing to the storyteller. Alex made a few steps back, waiting for Eragon to stand up. The monsters were tall, robust and wide as a wardrobe.

"Run Eragon! Run and don't look back, I'm going to take care of them." said Alex, unsheathing his left sword.

The Rider nodded and began to run away. One of the Urgals tried to follow him but was interrupted in his course by a combat knife which hit his head, killing him on the spot. The young man smiled and took his fighting position, the same one as the other night, when he fought with the old man.

_«Let's see if this copy of the Master Sword is as powerful as the smith said it would be. It's made of titanium, after all»_

The creatures ran to him. Alex lightly flexed his legs to dodge the blow from the first Urgal, he hit the kneecap of the second one and cut in two the shield of the third. Then, he gave him a head butt. His victim fell to the ground with his nose broken.

"Shit man, I shouldn't have done that! That hurt!"

Hearing the whistle of the wind in his back, Alex quickly rolled to the side to escape a sword. With a clever move, he disarmed his opponent and gave him a right hook. Seeing that the one with the damaged kneecap was about to attack again, he cut off his head. He then killed the first Urgal by piercing his heart. A sigh escaped his mouth and a single drop of sweat ran down his right cheek. The scraping sound of leather against the ground came up to his ears and he turned around, bringing him face-to-face with the last Urgal, the one with the broken nose, who had some difficulties to concentrate due to the pain in his broken bone. The swordsman shook his head and rolled his eyes. He drew out the weapon tied to his right tight. The moment after, a powerful detonation echoed in the surrounding area and a body fell to the ground with a hole with a diameter of three centimeter in the skull.

Looking in Brom's direction, he saw that the latter was on his horse, wounded and unconscious, waiting for the last Urgal to give him the killing blow. Instinctively, he raised his arm and a second detonation was heard while light grey smoke escaped from the tip of his weapon. Quickly, Alex approached the storyteller and dismounted him from Snowfire. Blood was streaming down his right arm. The young man put his bag on the ground and opened it to search something very useful in this kind of situation. He took a small red box out of the bag and opened it. With a bandage roll and some disinfectant, he expertly nursed the injury.

A cry of rage filled his head. He raised his eyes to the sky and saw a big blue lizard landing a little away. The dragoness approached quickly, in the company of the farmer who, fortunately, didn't have any wound but had a tired look on his face.

"Is everything alright?" asked Alex, a little worried.

"Yes, I'm fine, just a few scratches, thank to that Urgal."

The man with blue eyes raised an eyebrow.

"How so?"

"There was another one who was hidden while the others assaulted us. He was surely waiting for us to be separated to go into action. I took care of him myself. And you?"

"They didn't gave me any major problem. You just need to have some reflexes and be a little fast. Brom have a beautiful cut on his arm but I've took care of it. We should go before more of them come."

The two boys put the storyteller on Saphira's back. Then, they took the horses with them and left the village. Alex was on Snowfire's back while Eragon was guiding Cadoc. They walked along the Ninor until Saphira mentally called her Rider and sent him the image of a little meadow surrounded by trees and along the river.

When they arrived, a small fire was already burning. Brom was in front of it, his right arm put against his torso. The duo sat down at Brom's side.

"Saphira told me you treated my wound. Your bandage is solid and well made."

Alex nodded his head as a thanks before adding:

"It's nothing. I've cleaned your cut so it's not going to be infected but I'll remove the bandage tomorrow morning to see if it heals well and if I need to put another one. You're not suffering too much, are you?"

A small rictus of pain flashed on Brom's face.

"Unfortunately, yes."

The young man didn't answered and opened his bag. He fumbled for a moment before exiting a small yellow box that he opened. A tablet of a diameter of a centimeter fell on the leather glove that protected his right hand and he handed it to the old man.

"Take it with some water but don't chew it because it won't take effect if you do it."

"What is it?"

"It's a painkiller. You can put it in your mouth safely, there's no poison in it."

The storyteller took the object between two fingers, analyzing it for a second before opening his mouth and drop it on his tongue. Then, he took a few gulps of water from his bottle.

"Now, you just have to wait a few minutes and the pain will slowly fade away. It'll be present tomorrow but not as intense as now. I think we should make dinner, you two looks like you haven't ate anything since a day or two."

"You're right, thank you for your help."

Alex winked and smiled. "Think nothing of it."

Once their bellies full, Brom lit up his pipe and the man with icy blue eyes comfortably lay on the ground, his head on his bag and looking at the sky. He listened to the conversation between the other two people, interested by what happened to the farmer. When the latter explained how he killed the last Urgal, it intrigued Alex: Magic. He did everything to not laugh and keep a serious attitude but it wasn't easy. Dragons were real, sword with colored steel too so…why not?

It was with those thoughts the swordsman quickly fell asleep, also a little tired by the events of the last few days.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Opening Theme - Sword Art Online Opening 1**

The next morning, Brom was able to ride again on Snowfire's back and the three companions left their temporary place. Fortunately, and just like Alex said, the pain in the elder's arm wasn't as uncomfortable as the night before. But he wasn't ready to fight again. The storyteller was a little too weak for those kind of things yet so the man with grey hair would be training Eragon for the next few days. And speaking of Alex, he was currently keeping a part of his promise by sharing all the food he had so they wouldn't be short of supplies.

But, they still had to stop at Daret to fill their bags. It wasn't an option. During the time they had before arriving at the next town, Brom decided to educate the farmer about magic. When the swordsman watched the brown-haired adolescent hovering a pebble above his hand, he raised an eyebrow as if to say 'seriously?' and shrugged.

During the following days, a schedule was established to supervise Eragon's teaching. For most of the day, he learned new words in Ancient Language and continued to train with his pebble. And when the sun left, it was Alex's turn to share his knowledge by fighting with him. Sometime, Brom joined and they were in a 'two-against-one' battle. The swordsman was even less gentle than the old man. He wanted Eragon to give everything he had in each of their sessions. Even the boy with brown hair admitted he had made some progress since the first night Brom forced him to fight with a simple stick.

Finally, they reached Daret. The village was small and looked like it was abandoned. The trio walked into town, their senses on the edge. Before they could make another step, two wagons rolled into the street, blocking their path, and found themselves ambushed by no less than sixty archers with bows drawn tight.

"Shit!" cursed Alex who took his black weapon in his hands and pointed it in front of him, aiming at different persons to find a weakness in their defenses. He only needed to find a weakness in their defenses and he could create a way out of here. Unfortunately, he didn't found one.

"Brom…they're too many. I think the only solution we have is the pacific one."

"I thought so too."

The leader of the pack stepped out in front of them, keeping his own bow steady at the three travelers. "Why are you here?"

"We only want to purchase supplies, nothing more."

"You are armed pretty heavily."

"True. These are dangerous times."

"Indeed they are."

A long and tense silence followed before the man spoke again. "Would you agree to stay put while one of my men brings you what you need, you pay then leave right afterwords?"

"Yes."

After putting the supplies in their bags, the wagons were moved and the three of them were allowed to leave Daret. They decided to meet Saphira somewhere away from the village and set up camp there. Eragon just had the time to dismount his horse that the dragoness swept his legs out from under him with her tail and pinned him to the ground.

"Saphira! What is your problem?"

Thinking she had lost her mind, Alex quickly drew out his left sword and pointed it at her. Brom put his hand on the Master Sword's replica and shook his head.

"It's between the two of them, let them settle their problem."

The swordsman growled. "What the hell is wrong with her?"

_«This hatchling put his nose everywhere. Every time he's not with me, he get into trouble.»_

"Do you really think I was going to let them injure him or Brom? You don't trust me, and this is something I understand completely, but I'm not a selfish man who only think for his safety. If I have the possibility to protect someone and not put them in danger in a situation like the one we just had, I'd do it without a second thought. I am not your friend and you're not mine but I'll protect you all the same, that's a promise."

_«Maybe but still, tomorrow, he's going to ride me and not that deer-animal you call a horse»_

"No problem."

Alex smiled inwardly, this was the perfect occasion to talk in private with Brom. He had some questions to ask to him and he was sure the elder had a few for him too.

For the first time that night, Eragon had to spar with Zar'roc. The storyteller had recovered enough to be his opponent again. The young man wasn't accustomed his sword's weight and wasn't as effective in comparison to his other lessons. They dueled for a while before retreating to their bedrolls, next to Saphira.

The sun was only up since one hour when Brom and Alex helped the Rider to saddle the blue lizard. The moment after, she took off and flew away in no particular direction with Eragon on her back. Brom and the other adolescent packed their things on the horses but before climbing on their saddles, the two of them instantly drew out their swords and put it against each other's neck.

Alex laughed with a sincere smile on his lips. The bald man couldn't help but smile too.

"I was expecting this kind of situation. I'm certain you want to know some things about me, am I right?"

"Indeed. And the same could be said in my case. So, I propose you a deal. We answer each other's question if possible. There's some things I can't share with you and you're probably in the same situation."

"Yes, I am. I accept your deal. You're first."

Brom lowered his weapon and sheathed it.

"Who are you? I've never seen anywhere the things you're carrying on you."

"Alexander Gray, nineteen years old and you're right. Nobody except you and Eragon have seen my weapons because they're not from here. I'm from another planet called Earth, a modern world, very different from this one."

"What do you mean by 'modern'? How did you ended up in Alagaësia?"

"We don't use horses anymore to travel from one place to another, we have birds made of steel which fly in the sky for that. Some of our weapons are so powerful that they could destroy half the planet. There's no magic on Earth, we only use science. And for the second question… I recently received a message from a friend who was working for the local authorities and told me they had found two people resembling to the Ra'zac who had assaulted a young mother and her offspring. They did this in a clearing, in front of at least thirty persons."

"When my friend said this, I rushed to their position and fortunately, they were still there. But, the mother and her children were already dead. I fought them and I can tell you, they're very strong. Those two gave me one hell of a beating. I made the mistake to underestimate them by using only one sword and not both of them. Anyway, in the fight, I've cut one of the two necklace they were wearing, with a strange and glowing gem on it. I quickly discovered it could create a portal to your world. A few days later and after some preparations, I opened one and jumped in it. Next thing I knew, I was less than a mile away from Carvahall and you know as me what happened after. Unfortunately, it seems they attacked Eragon's farm during my recovery. If I had the possibility to follow them sooner, maybe his uncle would be still alive."

Brom slightly frowned.

"Except for the fact that you wouldn't be alive right now, nothing would have changed. Now ask your questions."

"Okay, first: what is the relation between you and Eragon?"

"I'm one of his few frie-" began the storyteller before being interrupted.

"Liar."

Alex crossed his arms and looked at him sourly.

"There's more than that. Strangely, you share some of his facial features or I should say it's the contrary. Genes are transmitted from the father to the son, am I right?"

"Yes, you are. How did you suspected it?"

"The hurt in your eyes the night we began our journey, when Eragon wasn't satisfied with your answers to his questions."

"Ah, I see. I learned to not show my emotions too much but it seems it's not perfect. I must ask you to keep this a secret. His mind wouldn't be completely dedicated in his learning to be a Rider if he knew his teacher was also his father."

"I promise, your secret is safe with me. Next one: You have too much knowledge to be a simple storyteller, you said it yourself. So, in that case, what are you? A magician?"

The bald man smiled and shook his head. Then, he climbed on Snowfire, soon followed by the boy.

"You're not far from the reality but now it's my turn to ask: what are doing here? Other that tracking the Ra'zac. I'll answer you after you explained your presence with us."

"Objective one: my superiors ordered me to establish a friendly contact with the local authorities or directly with the government of the kingdom. If they're not friendly, act pacifically and try to find a solution. Objective two: seek and destroy the Ra'zac, every method to find and kill them is authorized, except betraying potentials allies, of course."

"And what happen in the case the Ra'zac are working for the king? Or if you are captured?"

"Kill them, leave this world as soon as possible and destroy the portal. If they capture me, I can try to escape or if it come to the worst, I kill myself. The secrets of my world are too precious to be in the wrong hands."

"I understand."

The duo continued to travel in silence for the next few minutes before Brom broke it.

"And I'm a Rider… well, I was one long ago. My dragon is not with us anymore."

He had a pained look on his face. Seeing this, Alex's eyes darkened with sadness.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Don't be but thank you anyway. Come on, we still have a long way to go."

* * *

><p>They had been following the trail left behind the Ra'zac, but it ended in a jumble of larger tracks and other markings in a clearing.<p>

"This could mean a serious problem for us, we have no trial to follow anymore."

"Dammit!" cursed Alex, exhaling loudly.

"I'm sure they have left something behind in their hurry. We need to search in the area, that's all."

And searching they did. While contacting Eragon to fill him on the findings, they found a flask belonging to the monsters. The strange liquid inside it was known as Seithr oil. This version of the oil was extremely rare but the non-lethal one was used by merchants and jewelers.

After talking, tossing back and forth ideas, they concluded to go to Teirm, a city along the coast where a friend of Brom was supposed to live.

"Well, Teirm it is then. We should be there in a week."

Eragon and Saphira spent the rest of the day flying before settling at camp for the night. As usually, the farmer had his nightly fight with Brom and was still improving. The old man and the boy lay down on either side of the dragoness, and quickly fell asleep to prepare for the next day's journey.

Alex looked at them from his place and smiled. His emotion began to rebel with his convictions and the mindset he needed to accomplish this mission. He wasn't their friend but strangely, his instinct told him he could lower his guard in their presence and trust them with his life. It was on those thoughts he closed his eyes and joined dreamland.


End file.
